


When Man Plans (No Matter the Way)

by InTheShadows



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: But Rhodey loves him anyways, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, Fluff, Laundry, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Rhodey is the best, Short & Sweet, Tony is a bit of a disaster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-18 04:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20632742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTheShadows/pseuds/InTheShadows
Summary: All Tony wants to be able to do is propose to Rhodey like he wants. He has everything planned out - it will be perfect if it kills him. And at this point it just might because he has managed tolose the ring. What kind of boyfriend does that make him?Good thing Rhodey has him covered.For IronHusbands Week Day 6 - Laundry day/Proposal





	When Man Plans (No Matter the Way)

Tony about has a goddamn heart attack when he can’t find the ring. How could he have lost it? He knows that he can be a bit scattered brain about his things sometimes - equations he can recite for days, but where he put the keys or his shoes not so much - but this -  _ this _ is important. So very important and now he has lost it and - He grabs a pillow and buries his face into it. This  _ cannot be happening _ . 

Alright, deep breath, where is the last place he had it? He just had it the day before - or was it the day before yesterday? - when he had woken up alone. Rhodey had gotten up at some ungodly hour before and miraculously Tony had managed to go back to sleep after that. Insomnia is such a pain to deal with. Then what? He had spent the day in the workshop, working on the latest StarkPhone. 

But did he have the ring with him still? He couldn’t keep it in any of his normal hiding places because Rhodey knows where all of them are by now. That’s the problem with knowing someone for as long as they have - no hiding place is safe. Inevitably they find it whether they are searching for it or not. It makes hiding presents - for christmas or birthday or any other random holiday - a real challenge. And Tony is  _ not _ the only one who cheats, no matter what Rhodey says. Rhodey is a lying liar who lies. 

He had been so worried about keeping it a secret. He wants it to be a complete surprise. Everything is already planned, now he is just waiting for the right time. It is simple and tasteful and will be done in the privacy of their own home. It sounds completely unlike him, but he doesn’t want to share this moment with anyone else. The assumption that he is all about grand gestures and showboating isn’t true. It’s not false either, but it is possible for him to be subtle when he wants to be. 

And this - this is asking Rhodey to spend the rest of his life with Tony. He doesn’t want the moment flung across every magazine in the world. Not because he doesn’t want to show Rhodey off - that is one of his favorite things to do - but because he is secretly a romantic at heart. He will never admit it, but he is. And this is something special. He’ll not have people getting their judgement all over it. 

So he has all he needs - the movie, the number to their favorite restaurant, a bottle of wine, the softest blanket they own. Everything except the ring! He will never forgive himself if he loses it. Lovelace what kind of boyfriend is he if he can’t keep track of something like  _ this _ ? A terrible one obviously and if Rhodey ever finds out than he is going to say no when Tony asks and then Tony’s heart is going to break and then- 

Right, time for another deep breath. He’s been keeping the ring close ever since he finished it - because he made it instead of buying it. For one thing the media would never keep it quiet if they saw him. They have no common decency like that. Vultures the lot of them. For another thing,  _ of course _ he made the ring. He wasn’t going to give Rhodey something inferior when he could make something better himself. It might also be his romantic side showing, but he ignores that thought. 

Back of track though. He has been keeping the ring close. He had it with him yesterday when he ate breakfast. Or rather drank enough coffee to make him feel human again before inhaling some peanut butter and running off. Did he have the ring with him when he went to the shop? Yes, yes he went straight to work- No, wait, no he didn’t. He had spilt coffee all over his jeans when he jerked around too fast, an idea coming at him before he had time to process it fully. 

He had gone back to the bedroom, changed and then headed off to the workshop before the idea could fade. That meant - He looks around frantically, but doesn’t see the jeans anywhere. What day is it? What day, what day, what-? Ah ha, he finds his phone and checks. It’s Wednesday, which means only one thing. 

He takes off running. “Rhodey!” he shouts, “Rhodey, Rhodey, Rhodey, wait, wait, wait a minute honey bear!”

Laundry day.

Oh please don’t let him be too late, don’t have let him have found - 

“Rhodey!” he skids to a halt inside the laundry room. “Rhodey?” he asks when he sees the amused smile he is wearing. Behind him the washing machine rumbles happily along. 

“Looking for something Tones?” His eyes are bright with laughter as he holds up the familiar velvet box. 

“Oh.” Tony looks down, shrugging. “Looks like you have everything under control then, so I’ll just,” he turns to flee. Could he be any more of a mess? And now he’s ruined everything and- 

“Come back here genius,” Rhodey manages to grab his hand, entwining their fingers together. When Tony glances up at him he lifts their hands so he can kiss his knuckles. “Don’t give me that look koala cat. You know how it breaks my heart.” 

Tony frowns, staring at their joint hands. “I just,” he shrugs helplessly. 

“I didn’t look inside if that helps.” 

“You didn’t-” he eyes him suspiciously, “You always look. Every christmas present, every supposedly surprise, everything you find you look at.” 

Rhodey doesn’t either bother denying it. “But this is different.” 

“You can look if you want,” Tony shrugs, trying his best to look careless, “It’s not as if it is going to be a surprise anymore.” 

“You gonna put it on me if I do?” 

“What? You mean?” Tony stutters, admittedly flailing his free hand a bit, “Yes?” 

“Well not yet,” Rhodey says casually and Tony’s heart about stops, “You haven’t asked, have you?” 

“Ass,” Tony accuses, but takes the box from Rhodey’s hand. “I had a plan you know,” he feels the need to defend, “It was great and you would have been swept off your feet.” 

“Don’t sweep me too high Tones or you’ll need to catch me when I come back down.” He winks. 

“And people say  _ I _ have the terrible lines,” Tony grumbles, but can’t help smiling anyways, “Platypus, honey bear, light of my life, peanut butter to my jelly, hot fudge to my sundae, hot dog to my bun-” 

Rhodey laughs. “You’re terrible,” he murmurs. 

“Will you marry me?” Tony finishes as if he hadn’t been interrupted. 

“Yes,” Rhodey says instantly, “you absolute dork. Yes.” 

Tony opens the box with one hand and pulls the ring out. “Going to need to let go for this part.” 

Rhodey holds out his hand and Tony slides it on. As soon as it is Rhodey lifts his hand to admire it. The ring is made of two colors - red and silver entwined together, with a bright blue stone in the center. “No one is going to believe your deniable about being a romantic after this,” he teases and then pulls Tony in for a kiss. 

When they pull apart they are both grinning. 

“No idea what you’re talking about,” Tony denies and then kisses him again.


End file.
